Lansing River Trail deaths / possible linked-case investigation
Lansing / Ingham County, Michigan
Case overview
Lansing's police chief says investigators are examining whether five deaths involving unhoused men along or near the River Trail may be related. One stabbing death has produced a charge; four other deaths reportedly involved apparent blunt-force or facial trauma. Police have identified patterns but have not established a single perpetrator or formally linked every death.
Documented and reported timeline
- October 2025–September 2026: Five men died after separate incidents along or near the River Trail.
- October 2, 2026: Lansing police discussed a possible pattern while investigating the cases separately.
- October 14: WKAR reported an indeterminate cause in Denis Dunnebacke's death.
Evidence and its limits
Gino Chouinard, Denis Dunnebacke, Robert Smith, Daniel Lusk and Louis Woodruff require separate evidence files. A charge in Lusk's stabbing does not establish responsibility for the other deaths. Similar geography or injury descriptions alone cannot prove a common perpetrator.
Court, counsel and current posture
Last reported posture: Five deaths under cross-case review; three classified homicides, two inconclusive; Denis Dunnebacke cause indeterminate; linkage unproved
Court information below reflects the dated sources available for review. Filed documents and signed orders must control the final account. Allegations against a living accused person remain allegations unless admitted or proved in court.
Questions the records must answer
Have investigators proved that one person caused all five deaths?
No such conclusion is established in the reviewed reporting. The classifications differ, and two deaths remain inconclusive in the tracked record.
Further investigation: Which deaths are authoritatively classified as homicide? What common forensic, geographic, temporal or digital evidence exists? Is the charged stabbing evidentially linked to any other death?
Source file
These links identify the available reporting and official material. A report describing a document is not the same as having the complete document.
Records and unanswered questions
Individual medical examiner reports and case numbers; documented linkage analysis; charging papers in the Lusk case; current police updates; scene, time and witness comparisons without unsupported serial-killer labeling.